Lang Yueyue clapped her hands, her smile brighter than any flower.
Abandoned as a third wheel, Wen Mubai stood there watching the two figures huddled together, shook his head with a helpless smile, and turned to sit down with Lang Shu and the others.
Lang Shu pulled out a small notebook and started doodling. It was his habit to carry a notebook with him because he had a bad memory, so he could jot down any inspirations at any time.
He hadn't seen Lang Yueyue smile so happily in a long time and wanted to capture it quickly. (GZH: lesbian2088, all yuri resources are available.)
"Lend me a piece of paper, Uncle Lang." Wen Mubai reached out his hand to him.
"You keep borrowing from me every day," Lang Shu complained, but still tore off a note for her. "Other people borrow and return, but with you, it's like throwing a meat bun to a dog—gone and never to be returned."
Wen Mubai didn't reply, but took the pen from Wang Fang and started drawing on his own.
As darkness fell, a breeze finally picked up, dispelling the summer heat. The leaves rustled, and the cheerful laughter of the two little kids occasionally rose and then quickly faded away.
Wen Mubai recalled that when her mother was still alive, she had described to her her desired old age life in this way.
She wants to buy a villa with a large yard, few neighbors, and plant easy-to-care-for flowers and plants around it. Whenever she has free time, she can move her easel into the yard and paint the flowers and plants.
She didn't expect Wen Mubai to give her any big, fat grandchildren. She was tired of the mundane routine of cooking, cleaning, and taking care of people's basic needs. If she was really lonely, she would grab any naughty children passing by, invite them in, and then sit to the side and watch them laugh and play.
But most of the time she still wants to be alone, quietly reading a magazine and having afternoon tea. For Wen's mother, this is the kind of family happiness she wants.
Unfortunately, she didn't live to see that time.
Now, as Wen Mubai watched Xu Chacha's back as she painted, he found himself yearning for the kind of life her mother had imagined.
However, she felt that having a child around to keep her company and make noise was not a problem.
Before long, the approximate shape was drawn on the note.
The small figure squatted on the ground, her limbs replaced by branches by Wen Mubai. The twisted branches wrapped around Xu Chacha's body, took root on the ground, and then grew high into the sky. The higher she went, the more lush the branches became. Wen Mubai's brushstrokes continued until they went beyond the frame.
She drew a piece of paper, barely bigger than the palm of her hand, and imbued it with the meaning of endless rebirth.
"You really like that girl? You treat her like a younger sister." Lang Shu asked this because he had known Wen Mubai for so long and had never seen her care about anyone like this before.
It seems like all the patience has been focused on one person.
Wen Mu rolled her eyes with a smile, watching Xu Chacha's retreating figure in the distance, "It's because this child is so endearing."
Lang Shu examined the painting in her hand, then reached out and took it. "What's borrowed should be returned. Give it to me."
"Uncle Lang, you're still fighting with a child for things?" Wen Mubai didn't let go; she wanted to give the painting to Xu Chacha.
"You don't believe me when I say you're stupid." Lang Shu glanced at her sideways. "I have a solo exhibition early next year. Do you want to come along? Half a year is enough time for you to prepare."
"Which kind of piece?" Since he'd already been called stupid, Wen Mubai decided to just ask directly.
"I'll add a spot for you in this series. Are you going to take advantage of this?" Lang Shu's tone was one of exasperation.
The design world values experience and connections even more. He had always known that Wen Mubai was very talented in this area, but he wouldn't risk damaging his own reputation by mentoring him. He himself wasn't quite sure why he had this idea today.
Perhaps the way Wen Mubai looked at Xu Chacha just now reminded him of himself back then.
"I see." Wen Mubai's voice trailed off. "Then I'll ask my little model if she agrees."
"Okay." Lang Shu gave her a thumbs up. "You're so capable. You keep calling me your mentor, and I can't even persuade you otherwise."
Wen Mubai smiled but said nothing, and waved to Xu Chacha who happened to be looking over. The little boy immediately stood up and ran over to her.
"Auntie, did you call me?" She was wearing a flower wreath she had casually woven herself, her forehead was covered in fine sweat, but her eyes were bright and sparkling, as if she didn't feel tired at all.
"Hmm." Wen Mubai skillfully took out a wet wipe to wipe the sweat from her forehead, and then slowly wiped her little hands covered in dirt. "Did you feel tired when we took the photos last time?"
"Not tired at all." Xu Chacha shook her head, smiling happily. "It's so great to be able to take beautiful photos and wear pretty clothes."
Now that the conversation had progressed this far, Lang Shu stopped pretending not to know. He looked at Xu Chacha and asked, "Chacha, do you recognize me?"
He had never introduced himself before, but Xu Chacha could call him "Grandpa Lang" as soon as she saw him. Few people know that Lang Yueyue has the same surname as him, so there must be a reason why Xu Chacha can call him that.
"Yes." Xu Chacha didn't hide it, "Last time Aunt Jingjing took me to take pictures, I saw the clothes that Grandpa Lang designed for Yueyue, they were so beautiful!"
Lang Shu gave her a kind smile. "Thank you."
Actually, his gratitude towards Xu Chacha wasn't just because she protected Lang Yueyue today, but also because Hua Jing had told him that they had already found a child to replace Lang Yueyue for the shoot that day, but the child gave up the opportunity after learning about the origin of the dress.
Hua Jing showed Lang Shu a photo of Xu Chacha wearing that outfit. It has to be said that this female devil has the best taste as always. If this outfit didn't have special significance for him, he probably wouldn't have refused to let Xu Chacha wear and interpret it.
"So, Grandpa Lang, please take good care of Yueyue. Once she's better, Chacha wants to take some beautiful photos with her."
"Oh, I see. If we had the chance now, would you be willing to help Grandpa walk the runway with Yueyue? There will be even more beautiful clothes than before, specially designed for you."
Xu Chacha's eyes lit up, "Really?"
“Grandpa never lies to children.” Lang Shu winked at her.
Xu Chacha nodded frantically, "Yes, yes, yes, I want to go."
Lang Shu turned his head and gave Wen Mubai a look, "Look, your model agreed."
“Okay.” Wen Mubai nodded with a smile. “Then I’ll listen to her.”
...
EV's new issue will be released regularly on September 15th.
The topic that was trending online before was mainly speculation about who EV would replace the male cover star who suddenly broke out in a scandal. Many people clicked on EV's purchase link to find out.
[Who is this? Do you know him?]
[Ahhh, what a beauty! EV's cover model this time is just perfect for me, I'm going to search for her name right now!]
Wen Mubai's mother is somewhat famous in the industry, but she rarely appears in the media. However, there are still entries about her online.
The entry only briefly mentions her parents, but below it is a list of awards she has received from childhood to adulthood.
[She's beautiful, talented, and wealthy—even more appealing!]
[Wake up, she's a rich woman's sister, only nineteen years old (by Chinese reckoning).]
[So "Spring" was adapted from her novel! A few days ago it was officially announced that my favorite character would be playing the lead role—what a small world!]
Flipping through the magazine, there was an interview with Wen Mubai. In it, she was asked about her choice of fashion design as her major. She didn't choose literature, which she was good at, nor did she study business as others speculated, in order to inherit the so-called billions of dollars. It was really puzzling.
Wen Mubai's answer was straightforward: He just wanted to try what it felt like to be himself.
[Is this the composure of an outstanding woman? She exudes a confidence that says, "I can do anything well." Suddenly I think this girl is so cool! ]
[I just checked her college entrance exam scores. With those scores, she'll definitely do well in whatever she studies.]
As discussions about Wen Mubai increased, EV children's clothing also received more attention than ever before.
The official Weibo account revealed in the sales link that they have improved the section this time and added interactive elements, soliciting netizens' daily outfits. If the submission is selected, it will be featured in the new section and a substantial fee will be awarded.
Besides following celebrity gossip, contemporary Weibo users love nothing more than raffles, reposting, and taking advantage of deals. They would seem out of place not to take advantage of such a big deal as EV.
Xu Chacha also secretly joined in. She lay on the bed, her toes dangling back and forth, and her fingers tapped the screen to scroll down the comments.
After scrolling for a long time, I finally saw someone's comments about the new section.
Anonymous netizen: The new section is not bad, at least there are styles that can be worn in public that can be used as inspiration.
Someone commented below.
[And the child models are so cute! I don't understand why we always chose foreign child models before; kids with round, chubby faces are just so adorable!]
Xu Chacha pinched her cheeks in confusion. She had always thought she had an oval face, so how come hers was round?
I'm not convinced.
[The model on the height chart is 104cm, about the same height as my child. She looks good in that polka-dot dress, so I bought it for my daughter to try on.]
[Only 104cm? Hahahaha! I thought it was a proportion issue that made her look so small, but it turns out she really is short.]
Xu Chacha frowned, realizing that things were gradually developing in a way that she had not expected.
[Seriously! I just went to see it, and the baby model is so cute! She's only four or five years old, but her camera presence is already so strong.]
[Yes, yes, they're so tiny! You could practically hold them in your hands and squeeze them. They're making me want to have a daughter!]
Because of Xu Chacha's height, the tone of this comment section became increasingly off-topic, eventually veerging from the original message and becoming irreversible.
"Four or five years old? Extremely small?"
Xu Chacha gritted her teeth, angrily turned off her phone, and straightened her back to get out of bed.
"What's wrong? Why aren't you asleep?" Xu Yanshu, who happened to come out to get water, bumped into the angry little girl. "Did you have a nightmare or were you bullied? Your lips are pouting so high."
Xu Chacha asked, sounding particularly aggrieved, "Sister, can I still grow taller?"
Why is it that drinking milk every day has no effect at all?
Xu Yanshu exclaimed "Ah!" and burst into laughter, "You're still young now, of course you'll grow taller."
Xu Chacha stood with her hands on her hips, stomping heavily on the ground as she walked downstairs in her slippers.
She rushed to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, took out a liter of pure milk, held it in her two little hands, tilted her head back, and gulped it down. Her bold manner suggested that she wouldn't stop until she was stuffed to the point of bursting.
"One glass of milk a day is not enough. Starting today, I'm going to drink a whole tub of milk every day!"
Chapter 29
Xu Yanshu couldn't let her go through all that trouble, so she quickly stopped her, "Drinking so much iced milk so late at night will definitely give you diarrhea, don't drink it."
Xu Chacha wiped the milk off her lips. "Then I'll go heat it up."
"Stop." Xu Yanshu took the milk from her arms, tightened the cap and put it back, then squatted down and looked directly at her. "If you want to grow taller, drinking milk won't work. You also need to go to bed early, get up early and exercise more. If you lie in bed like a lazy pig every day, how can you grow taller?"
Speaking of this, Xu Chacha's "degeneration" is inseparable from the fact that her parents and housekeeper Zhang doted on her. These people would worry that Xu Chacha would get tired if she walked two steps up the stairs, so they would carry her and make her legs useless.
“Yes, I need to go to bed early.” Xu Chacha said anxiously, “Staying up late will not only stunt my growth but also cause hair loss. I don’t want to be like my dad when I grow up.”
"Come on, let me carry you up." Xu Yanshu was about to squat down to carry her out of habit when she suddenly remembered what she had just said. She stood up again and pretended to be serious. "Walk up by yourself. Get some exercise."
"Okay!" Xu Chacha was very enthusiastic. She took big steps with her short legs, striding two steps at a time, as if she wished she could physically lengthen her legs so that she would be 1.8 meters tall by tomorrow morning.
Xu Chacha was truly determined this time. She began frantically searching for information online, writing down everything, from folk remedies to the words of various experts. The little book titled "The Secret to Growing Taller" was as thick as two fingers.
Go to bed early and get up early, exercise appropriately, and pay attention to your diet.
When Xu's parents found out about this, they immediately invited a nutritionist back to create a customized nutrition plan for Xu Chacha.
The goal can be summed up in two words: grow taller!